Gentle Giant
by SynthaRoboto
Summary: When a severely defective engine comes to Sodor, will he be accepted? Rating may change in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

The railways on the Island of Sodor were extremely busy. With the recent collapse of yet another bridge, and many construction projects, the Fat Controller had to borrow an engine from another railway to help with the workload. Unfortunately for him, there weren't many engines available for lease, and he had to settle for a diesel that was known to be extremely unreliable. He only hoped that this diesel wouldn't cause too many problems.

Of course, the steam engines were none too happy to have a visiting diesel. They were even less happy when they saw that it was a warship. The new engine was a class 43, which made him slightly bigger than Diesel 10. Though this engine lacked a roof-mounted claw, his size alone was quite intimidating. However, something seemed rather off about this diesel.

Though no one had actually tried to speak to this engine, everyone who had seen him couldn't help but notice that he looked and acted strangely. The diesel's face appeared to be stretched, and his right eye often pointed outward, and frequently twitched. He often appeared to stare into space, which was rather unsettling.

The engine in question, whose name was Dante, wondered why the other engines seemed to be avoiding him. After all, since his arrival, he had been nothing but friendly. He was so busy pondering over this that he wasn't looking where he was going, and nearly bumped into James, who was waiting at a signal.

"Whoops! Um excuse me, but you is in the way," said Dante.

"Can't you see the signal is red?! 'is'? Learn to speak properly!" James scoffed.

"I…I sorry," Dante said, his face twisting into a frown.

Before anything else could be said, the signal changed, and James steamed off in a huff, muttering a few epithets referring to diesels.

Dante blinked a couple times and continued on his way. He was delivering a train of empty wagons to Knapford yards. When he arrived, Gordon was taking a nap, relaxing before he was due to pull the express. Unfortunately, Dante had put the wagons in the wrong siding, and right in front of Gordon. Needless to say, Gordon was not happy when he woke up, but Dante had already left, and was on his way to Brendam Docks.

When Dante arrived at Brendam, he saw Diesel shunting trucks. Diesel was not in a good mood that day, for Thomas had once again been given a special job, and Diesel had to do extra work. Diesel was angrily muttering about how Thomas always got favorably treated when he bumped into Dante, who was staring at the clouds, taking in the beauty of the sky.

"Oof! What the-?! What are you doing?! Get out of the way!" Diesel snapped crossly.

Snapping out of his reverie, Dante looked at the black shunter that was in front of him. "I sorry, I was looking at the clouds," he said innocently.

"Looking at the _clouds_?!" Diesel snapped.

"Well they are pretty and they make funny shapes," said Dante.

"What are you, retarded?!" Diesel snapped.

James, who had pulled up with a dreaded goods train, piped up and said, "I think he _is_ retarded. Sir Topham Hatt said that great big idiot diesel is defective,"

Cranky rolled his eyes. "Why would the Fat Controller have a defective engine on his railway?! Everyone knows this railway has enough trouble as it is!" he said.

At that, Dante felt tears sting his eyes. He had been afraid of this, He knew if he didn't prove himself here on Sodor, he would be sent back to his old railway in disgrace, and most likely sold for scrap. He clearly remembered his railway's controller telling him that defective engines aren't worth keeping around. He remembered the taunts and name-calling from other engines, jeering at him, telling him how useless he is.

Unable to take any more, Dante sped off, all the way to Vicarstown, where he looked for a shed to hide in. Entering the main shed of the Dieselworks, he spotted a shed in the back that looked private and secluded. Ignoring Den and Dart's exclamations that he couldn't go in that shed, Dante backed into it and let the doors slam in front of him.

Inside, Dante let his tears flow freely. The names he had been called, the vicious taunts from other engines, the harsh words from his owner, played in his mind like a vicious storm. _Defective, retarded, idiot._ Dante sobbed bitterly, feeling it was all true. _Useless, dumb, stupid._ No one wanted a defective engine that broke down a lot. No one wanted an engine as dumb, as stupid, as him.

Then, the doors to the shed that he was hiding in opened. Dante looked up and saw another warship, one with a nasty-looking roof mounted claw, and boy did he look angry!

"What are you doing in my shed?! This is _MY SHED_!" Diesel 10 snapped.

"I…I sorry! I do nothing right! I—I nothing but a defect!" Dante said tearfully. Choking back a sob, he continued. "I screw up again, I nothing but a—a retard! I'll leave, just let me out, I go away and—and never come back—I'll go to scrapyard like I should been years ago,"

"Stop that!" Diesel 10 said, "Don't talk about yourself like that," he said in a softer voice.

"B—but I am a defect," Dante said, his voice quivering.

"Perhaps you are, but that's no reason to scrap you! Now, who called you the R-word?! Was it those blasted steam engines? If it was, they'll have Pinchy to answer to!" Diesel 10 said, clanking his claw.

"Everyone call me a retard," Dante said sadly, "The steam engines, the diesels back home, my owner, everyone."

"That's just not right," Diesel 10 grumbled. "I'll tell you what; you can stay in my shed tonight. I normally don't do this, but I'll sleep out here," he said.

"Thank you," Dante said with a sniffle, "You is nice engine,"

Diesel 10 was taken aback. No one had ever said that about him before. Smiling slightly, he backed onto the turntable and switched onto another track.

The next day, Dante was woken up by one of the workmen. "Dante," he said urgently, "There's been an accident on the mainline. I need you to go and make sure no engines come down the line until the mess is cleared,"

"But…I am not useful for anything," Dante said sadly.

"There's no time to waste, and you're the only engine available. Just do your best," the man said.

Reluctantly, Dante left the Dieselworks. When he got to the site of the accident, he saw Henry lying on his side, mangled. An entire train of destroyed trucks were strewn on and off the tracks behind him. Henry's face was contorted in an expression of pain. Despite having been relentlessly insulted by nearly everyone he met, Dante couldn't help but feel sorry for the stricken engine. "Hello," he said quietly.

Henry opened his eyes and looked at the big diesel.

"I came to make sure no one crash into you," said Dante.

Henry winced in pain. "Thanks," he said in a pained voice.

"Um…you know if you think of something else it not hurt so much," said Dante.

"Ohh…how am I supposed to do that?" Henry moaned.

"Well, um, look! There is a froggy!" Dante said as he spotted a frog in the grass not far from Henry's face. "It is a big froggy! I think frogs are cute, they slimy but they are nice and I hear they don't bite," said Dante.

Henry looked where Dante was looking, and spotted the frog. He chuckled a little, this big diesel seemed quite nice now. Soon, Henry and Dante were engaged in an animated conversation, and before they knew it, Percy showed up with Rocky. Soon, Henry was lifted onto a flatbed and taken to the Steamworks to be mended.

Later that day, the Fat Controller had all his engines gather at the Steamworks. "I've called you all here because I have a very important announcement," he said.

The engines all looked at each other.

"I've decided to keep Dante, as he has proven himself to be a very useful and kind engine," the Fat Controller said.

"What?!" James exclaimed, and many of the others murmured and made sounds of disappointment and rolled their eyes.

"But Sir! Surely you can find a better engine than that defective diesel!" Gordon protested.

Several of the others murmured in agreement with Gordon.

"SILENCE!" the Fat Controller boomed. "I've been informed of how some of you have been treating Dante, and I will _not_ tolerate bullying and name-calling on my railway! I am well aware of Dante's disability, and I expect you to treat him exactly as you would treat the rest of your peers!"

"But Sir—he—He's retarded!" James protested.

At that, the Fat Controller rounded on him. "James, for that, you will be pulling goods trains for a week, and working with Arry and Bert at the smelters!"

James was horrified! He hated trucks, and he knew he wa going to get his shiny red paint all dirty.

"Now," the Fat Controller said sternly, "If I hear that word out of any of your mouths in reference to Dante, there will be consequences, do I make myself clear?!"

The other engines gulped.

"I am very disappointed with the way you've all treated Dante," the Fat Controller said severely, "I expect better out of you."

Several engines looked down in shame. The Fat Controller was right, they shouldn't have treated him so badly. After all, Dante was very friendly. Finally, Percy spoke up: "I'm sorry for avoiding you, Dante. It's just…you're a very big diesel, and…well, I shouldn't have judged you. I saw what you did for Henry, and that was very kind of you. Maybe we can be friends,"

At that, Dante beamed happily. "Friends?" he said, grinning.

Percy chuckled. "Yeah, friends," he said.

"I…never had friends, I always wanted friends," said Dante.

Percy smiled, and so did Thomas, and Emily, and even Diesel 10.

"We'll give him a chance, sir," said Emily.

"I suppose I shouldn't have been so harsh," said Gordon.

Dante was grinning broadly. He had been given a second chance, which was something he hadn't expected. He hoped that this would last. All his life, he had longed to be accepted. At the very least, he wasn't going to be sent back to where he came from, where he would surely be scrapped. He was given a fresh new start, and finally, things were looking up for him.


	2. Chapter 2

Paxton never liked being out at night, especially when it was foggy. It was so spooky to him, and he was always afraid that he would run into ghosts. However, he had to be out that night. An accident had happened on the narrow gauge line, and he had to take Fred to the Dieselworks.

Paxton knew the accident that Fred was involved in was a rather bad one, but he hadn't been told just how bad. At the moment, he simply wanted to get this done and over with. Though he didn't want to admit it, Paxton was nervous. Arry and Bert had teased him earlier, telling him that something may jump out from the darkness and attack him at night. Though he kept telling himself that the Ironworks twins were just messing with him, he couldn't help but jump at every noise he heard.

His driver did his best to keep Paxton calm, assuring him that what he was hearing was only benign things such as owls and the wind. However, what he heard next, Paxton was sure was no owl. An eerie, two-tone horn echoed in the distance, its pitch shifting slowly from high to low in an ominous crescendo.

"Wh—what was that?!" Paxton said as she shivered in fright.

"Probably just the wind," his driver said with a sigh. Sure, Paxton was an excellent engine to work with, but he did get rather easily spooked. Then, the same horn sounded again, closer this time. The mournful wail echoed across the landscape. Before Paxton or his driver could say anything else, a gleaming black engine with a shock of red shot past them, speaking one word in a raspy, slightly slurred voice: "Move!"

"That was _not_ the wind!" Paxton said shakily, as he reluctantly continued to make his way towards the narrow gauge line. When he arrived, he saw the same engine, though he couldn't see its face. It was a shiny black warship, and he could now see that the shock of red was in fact a rather detailed design of flames painted on the engine's sides. The warship had a claw, though it was nothing like Diesel 10's. As a matter of fact, it was a lot more intimidating, for it was the same type of claw that was used for scrapping.

Paxton watched in horror as the strange engine lifted a severely mangled Fred with the menacing attachment. Fred was so small compared to the warship; he was easily lifted. Poor Fred was sobbing uncontrollably, scared out of his wits and most likely in terrible pain. However, the black warship seemed to be taking care not to damage him further as she set him down on a flatbed.

Still, Paxton was frightened by this newcomer. He tried to reverse quickly before he could be seen, but didn't notice that the points hadn't been set for him to leave. Paxton tipped onto his side with a loud thud, which caught the warship's attention. "Oh no!" he said, screwing his eyes shut as the warship reversed. He was terrified. He didn't know if this engine was going to harm him, and he didn't want to find out!

Then, the warship spoke: "Are you alright?" its voice was harsh and raspy, but Paxton could hear genuine concern. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes. When he saw the engine's face, he let out a gasp. "You're the—the—the—the—" he stammered.

The warship snickered a little. "Grim Reaper, yeah, yeah, I know. By the way, my actual name's Daniella," she said.

Paxton calmed down some, he had heard stories about this engine, but now that she was talking to him, she didn't seem like such a bad engine. Still, he didn't know if he could trust her. "I'm Paxton," she said with a gulp, "Um…please don't hurt me,"

Daniella extended her claw, gripping the ladder on his side. Noticing him flinch, she said, "I'm not gonna hurt ya. I'm getting you back on the rails,"

With a mighty tug, Daniella pulled Paxton off of his side, and set him back on the rails. She was surprisingly gentle; Paxton was amazed at how careful she was not to hurt him.

Once Paxton was back on his wheels, Daniella coupled to the flatbed that Fred was on; the tiny Hunslet diesel was still sobbing miserably.

"Um, excuse me," Paxton said hesitantly, "Where are you taking him?"

"To the scrapyard," Daniella replied, and Fred began to wail in despair. "Manager here said that he can't be repaired,"

"Oh…oh no," Paxton said, looking down. While he didn't know Fred very well, he hated to see anything bad happen to anyone. Then, Daniella reached her claw out in front of her, and gently wiped the tears from the tiny engine's face. "Don't cry lil one," she said softly, "I don't hurt broken engines."

Fred looked up at her; Daniella was huge compared to him! She could easily crush him like an old can with that claw of hers, but here she was, drying his tears.

Paxton gulped again. He was still nervous, but the scary-looking warship hadn't been aggressive in the slightest to either him or Fred. "What do you do with…broken engines?" he said hesitantly.

"I look after 'em til they die," Daniella responded bluntly. At that, she began to pull away. "Don't worry kiddo, this lil one is in good hands," she said, leaving a stunned Paxton behind.

After a few minutes of letting what had just happened sink in, Paxton made his way back to the Dieselworks. He wasn't sure if he should tell anyone, as he doubted that anyone would believe him. After all, that particular engine he had just spoken to had quite a nasty reputation, and he didn't want his friends thinking that he was making things up or imagining things.

Several minutes after Paxton had returned to his shed, he heard a bang from outside. Looking to see what the noise was, he saw that Dante had accidentally bashed his face into one of the shed doors. One of the workmen who were outside began shouting angrily at him.

"You great big stupid idiot! Look what you've done! That door is going to have to be replaced now, all because your stupid self bashed your idiotic face into it!" the man shouted.

Dante flinched, reversing ever so slightly.

"How the hell did you not see that door there?!" the workman shouted.

"I…" Dante said hesitantly.

"Spit it out!" the workman snapped.

"I was looking at the moon," Dante said shamefully.

"You were _looking at the moon_?!" the workman shouted, becoming red in the face, "What do you think you're a werewolf?! That is the dumbest excuse I've _ever_ heard out of anyone! How _stupid_ are you?!"

"I…I sorry…" Dante whimpered, blinking back tears.

"You're gonna cry now?! Jesus Christ, why the hell did the Fat Controller buy a defective engine?! A defective, retarded engine at that!" the workman shouted as he spun on his heel and stormed off. Once he was gone, Paxton spoke, seeing that Dante was still doing his best not to cry.

"That wasn't very nice of him; he shouldn't have treated you like that. Everyone has accidents…are you alright?" said Paxton.

"I is OK," Dante murmured as he reversed and switched onto another track so that he could go into a different shed. As he did so, Paxton couldn't help but notice a bit of fluid seeping from the corner of his mouth.

"Um, Dante…maybe you should get looked over," said Paxton.

Dante, however, didn't respond to him as he went into the shed that was furthest from him. Paxton hoped that he was alright, but thought that he may need some space, as he was clearly upset, and decided to leave him be for now. As he drifted off to sleep, he thought to himself that he would tell the mechanics in the morning about what he saw, and try to keep a close eye on the bigger diesel.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Paxton woke up to find that Dante was nowhere in sight. Upon asking the workmen, he discovered that Dante had left about an hour ago, without getting looked over. Not even caring about the job he was supposed to do, Paxton hurried away from the Dieselworks, hoping to find Dante soon, before anything could happen to him. He was quite worried about the bigger diesel, and didn't want to see anyone hurt.

Dante, on the other hand, was already having a rough day. He had been sent to the docks to take Henry's train, and he was running incredibly late. As a matter of fact, he hadn't even made it halfway there. Dante found himself unable to travel very fast, as his traction motors on his front bogies were causing him a lot of pain, and making a terrible grinding noise. Though he tried his best to ignore the pain, he found it unbearable if he moved at more than what seemed like a snail's pace. Still, he pressed on, determined to prove himself as more than a lousy, defective engine.

Dante had felt something wet dripping down his face, but he did his best to ignore it. Soon, he had to stop at a signal. Unfortunately for him, Bill and Ben were also waiting at the signal, and they both stared at him for a long, awkward moment.

"Hey Bill, is that the—" Ben cleared his throat, " _Special_ diesel the Fat Controller bought?"

"It sure is! Hey, doofus, you're drooling!" Bill taunted.

"Eww, who wants a faulty diesel that _drools_?" said Ben.

The signal changed, and Bill and Ben puffed off, laughing and making jokes about drooling diesels.

Dante felt hurt by their taunts, but at the moment, the physical pain he was in was much worse. As he started to move again, a loud snapping sound was heard, and he came to a sudden stop. He felt a sharp, searing pain in the back of his mouth as he began to cough uncontrollably. His driver had gotten out to check him over, let out a horrified gasp and sprinted quickly to the nearest phone.

Dante found himself choking and gasping, feeling the same sharp pain become worse, and a sickly wet sensation all throughout his mouth and face. He had broken down many times before, but never this badly. He was utterly terrified.

It ws then, Paxton finally caught up to him. Upon seeing the state that Dante was in, Paxton wasted no time coupling up to him and pulling him back to the Dieselworks. Once they arrived, the Fat Controller was already there, shouting angrily at the same man who had berated Dante the night before.

Mechanics quickly went to work, frantically trying to find the source of Dante's distress. Then, one of them gestured for the foreman and the fat Controller to take a look. The foreman heaved a breath, tensing up, and the Fat Controller turned a shade paler.

"Do everything in your power to save him!" the Fat Controller barked, then got on the telephone and made a call. When he got off the phone, he cleared his throat. "I've called for an engine that I'm well aware some of you are afraid of. I'm having her on standby just in case…" he trailed off, closing his eyes tightly.

Paxton was more scared than he had ever been in his life. He, along with everyone else present, knew that the Fat Controller had called for the dreaded Grim Reaper of the Other Railway. However, it wasn't the Reaper that Paxton was afraid of. After all, he had met her last night, and she was rather friendly. No, Paxton was afraid that he was about to see another engine die. Hesitantly, he looked at Dante, who was still choking, gasping, and gagging. Even worse, black fluid covered his chin, leaking from somewhere inside him, out through his mouth.

Paxton gulped and let out a whimper. He didn't bother asking if Dante was going to be alright, as it was obvious that no one knew the answer to that. Still, things were looking bad for him. The fat Controller wouldn't call for that particular scrap diesel unless he suspected that one of his engines was broken beyond repair. The thought of that brought tears to Paxton's eyes. He felt so utterly helpless; there was nothing he could do, as much as he wished he could.

The diesels that were present all backed as far away from the entrance as possible as a familiar, eerie airhorn sounded. Paxton, however, didn't move. He knew who it was; the mournful wail of the Reaper's horn no longer frightened him.

Moments later, the same black warship with the fearsome scrapping attachment and mangled, scarred face entered the main shed. Before she could ask who she was there to pick up, Dante coughed and gurgled a couple of times, struggling to speak. "D—Da—ni…" he choked out.

Den, Dart, Arry and Diesel all gasped. "He _knows_ her?!" Diesel exclaimed.

"Of course he does!" Daniella said, looking sadly at Dante. "He's my cousin…Dante…what happened to him?"

"He um, bashed his face into a shed door last night," Paxton said quietly.

Daniella's one eye widened.

"Some of his parts came loose, and pierced through the back of his face," one of the mechanics said.

"Dante, open your mouth," Daniella said as she pulled up directly in front of him. To everyone's surprise, Dante didn't hesitate to do what the scary-looking engine told him. However, their surprise turned to horror as Daniella stuck the prongs of her claw into his mouth and began tugging at something.

"What is she—" Dart began.

"She's gonna rip his guts out!" Arry said, looking sickened.

Dante coughed and spluttered more violently as Daniella continued to pull at something. Paxton stared in terror, was she killing him? Finally, with a slow, steady motion, Daniella pulled out a big piece of twisted metal. Her claw, and the piece she had pulled out, was thoroughly soaked in black oil, which dripped all over the floor.

Dante gasped and gurgled again, finally spraying the same slick liquid all over everything in front of him. Then, he stopped gasping. "I…I not feel good…." He moaned miserably.

Everyone was staring at Daniella, who had been splattered with black oil. To their surprise, she didn't seem to care about that at all. Dropping the mangled metal on the ground, Daniella pressed her buffers against Dante's and nuzzled him affectionately. "You're gonna be alright," she said in her soft, albeit raspy voice. "Don't you dare give up, ya hear me?"


	4. Chapter 4

The engines present at the Dieselworks were in stunned silence. There she was, the engine that they all feared and hoped to never meet, and she was _crying_. This was not what they expected.

Daniella knew all too well that engines that were in bad shape like Dante was usually don't recover. Still, she wasn't ready to give up on him. As the mechanics did everything they could for him, Daniella stayed by his side, ignoring the stares from the others as she continually encouraged him.

Finally, after several tense hours, Dante stopped choking and gasping. Exhausted from the ordeal, he soon fell asleep.

As the others were far too busy staring at Daniella, no one noticed that Diesel 10 had returned, and had been sitting quietly at the entrance to the main shed for quite some time. He had overheard the workmen talking about how Dante had been treated, and he was by no means happy. Finally, Daniella spotted him, and let out a gasp.

"Yes, Dani, it's me," Diesel 10 spoke, and all eyes turned to him.

"You know her?!" Dart exclaimed.

"Of course I know her! She's my sister!" Diesel 10 blurted out, and the other diesels gasped.

Daniella let out a sigh. "I'm not a psycho-murdering monster. That much _should_ be obvious by now."

Diesel 10, however, grinded the jaws of his claw together, seemingly irritated by something. "I'll be back. You stay here and keep an eye on Dante," he said, before leaving.

By now, it was nighttime, and all the engines at Tidmouth sheds were sleeping peacefully. That is, until they were rudely awakened by a loud, blaring horn. The steam engines all woke with a start, and saw an angry Diesel 10 sitting on the turntable, clanking his claw and glaring daggers at them. Before any of them had a chance to say anything, Diesel 10 let into them.

"I have had _enough_! I'll have you know that engine you've been relentlessly picking on is my cousin, and because of the way he's been treated, _HE NEARLY DIED_!" Diesel 10 shouted.

The steam engines cringed. They hadn't seen Diesel 10 this angry in a very long time, and everyone was well aware of his bad temper.

"Diesel 10's cousin?!" Gordon said, unable to hide the disgust in his voice.

"Isn't that just what we all needed! Another steam-hating diesel! And a stupid one at that!" James scoffed.

Diesel 10 growled threateningly at them. "You wonder why I despise you blated teapots?! _That should be bloody obvious_! You're all a bunch of narrow-minded, ignorant, racist, judgmental _pricks_!" he snapped.

The engines at Tidmouth gasped. They had been expecting Diesel 10 to tell them they were outdated and should all be replaced, not this.

"You lot are the most vile, disgusting, bunch of utterly heartless, prejudiced hypocrites!" Diesel 10 spat, "I've seen it too many times to count! A much hated steam engine gets scrapped, and the others all mourn! But if a reviled diesel meets the same fate, your kind _rejoices_!" He said venomously.

The steam engines were in stunned silence, none of them dared interrupt Diesel 10's angry rant. Though many of them didn't want to admit it, he had a point.

"If a diesel sets a wheel out of line here, you _never forgive them_! No matter what they do to change, to improve their behavior, you lot hold it against them! Forever! Yet you'll happily forgive steam engines that behave in ways far worse than most of us would dare!" Diesel 10 paused for a second, clanking his claw in anger. "The way you treat those who are different than you disgusts me! And yet you always get all the glory! Everyone _loves_ you," he said caustically, "Despite the fact you're a bunch of horrid, heartless, _monsters_ who only care about yourselves! Thinking you're the center of the universe and such! Acting like the only way to be a proper engine is to be a steam engine!" Diesel 10 spat angrily. "You rusty old kettles had better treat my cousin decently, and if you're incapable of that, which most of you are, _you leave him well enough alone_! Or else you'll have Pinchy to answer to!" Diesel 10 clanked his claw threateningly before reversing off of the turntable, glaring daggers at the steam engines until he was out of sight.

After a long moment of stunned silence, Edward spoke. "I know a couple of you probably won't like this," he said, casting glances at James and Gordon, "but Diesel 10…he has a point. He's not completely right, not all steam engines are like that…but think about it, look how we tend to behave upon meeting diesels," he said.

"Pah! That's because they're dirty, devious—" James started.

"James!" Emily interrupted. "Not all of them are like that, as a matter of fact…most aren't. Look how many nice diesels are on Sodor. There's only four who act devious, and even then, they aren't that way all the time,"

Of course, once the Fat Controller heard that some of his engines were still picking on the newcomer, he was more than cross. Bill and Ben got quite the lecture, and were not allowed to leave the china clay pits for three weeks. James now had to pull trucks and work at the smelters for an extra week, and he was not allowed to go to the wash down until his punishment was over.

At the Dieselworks, after Diesel 10 had stormed back in and rather noisily returned to his shed, Diesel stayed outside, looking guilty. He remembered how he had treated Dante that day, and he felt terrible. Granted, he had been having quite a rough day when Dante had bumped into him, but he knew that he shouldn't have lashed out like he had.

Diesel headed to the quarry, deciding to sleep there. He told himself that it was because Daniella was present, and if she found out about that…he didn't want to know what she would do to him. Yet, there was another reason; one that he didn't want to admit, even to himself. He was afraid that Dante would never forgive him, and that he had unwittingly made another enemy due to his big mouth.


	5. Chapter 5

Many days had passed since his accident, and Henry was now completely repaired. Dante had also been repaired, but his engine wouldn't start, and he wouldn't wake up. The workmen had informed Sir Topham that if he wouldn't wake soon, he likely never would.

Having been informed of this himself, Henry decided to pay Dante a visit. As he steamed into the Dieselworks, he spotted the big diesel in the main shed. Henry's boiler ran cold upon seeing him; Dante looked deathly pale, and if he didn't know better, Henry would have thought that Dante was already gone.

Henry wanted to talk to him, to say that he was thankful for Dante's kindness, but the words died in his mouth. Before he could speak, James thundered into the yard with a line of trucks, grumbling loudly. James was quite filthy; his red paint dulled by a thick layer of dust and grime, and he was in a foul mood.

"Hello James," Henry said sadly.

James shot him a dirty look. "What are you doing here?" he snapped, wheeshing steam angrily.

"Visiting Dante," Henry said, looking down.

"Pah! You should be working, not wasting your time with that retarded rattletrap!" James scoffed. Unfortunately, James failed to notice the black warship that sat idling by Dante's side. That is, until Daniella shot out of the main shed, bumping into James harshly. "How _dare_ you!" she hissed, raising her claw. With one swift motion, she struck the side of James' smokebox, causing him to topple on his side. James watched in horror as Daniella raised her claw to strike again. Closing his eyes, he braced himself for a painful blow, but it never came. Opening his eyes, James saw that Diesel 10 had coupled to Daniella from behind, and was struggling to hold her back.

The black warship was hissing and snarling like a rabid animal; her one remaining eye was fixed on James' terrified face with a look of burning, explosive rage. Daniella violently struggled against her brother, jerking forward, slashing and swiping with her fearsome claw.

"Dani, stop! DANI! James is a horrid, disgraceful excuse for an engine, but killing him will do no good!" Diesel 10 said as he struggled to hold his angry sister back. He desperately hoped that she would listen, for he knew that he couldn't hold her back for long.

"No one treats sick engines like that! _NO ONE_!" Daniella shouted, jerking forward and nearly swinging her claw, missing James' nose by inches. "I am gonna shove my claw down your throat and _rip your boiler apart from the inside out_!" she snarled.

"Dani, no! Stop! Please!" Diesel 10 pleaded, pulling her back a few inches.

James looked over to the side and spotted Dante. Upon seeing him, James felt a sharp pang of guilt. A million thoughts raced through his head, for all he knew he was about to meet his end at the Reaper's claw. Yet, the thought that stood out the most was not his own potentially painful and gruesome demise. No, it was what the Fat Controller had told his engines when he first found out how badly they had treated this newcomer. Dante was a defective engine, he had clearly been treated horribly his whole life because of it. All of the insults, and having his defect constantly rubbed in his face had made Dante feel worthless, useless. Dante had ignored a serious injury because he thought that no one wanted to bother helping an engine that was built broken, and now he sat motionless in the Dieselworks, unconscious and barely alive.

James felt a tear roll down his cheek as Daniella snapped Diesel 10's coupling chain. He looked at her as she raised her claw to strike. "Go on. I deserve it," he said.

To his surprise, Daniella paused, still holding her claw in a menacing gesture. She glared down at him, though she seemed to be contemplating something. Finally, she rested her claw on her roof and reversed back into the main shed. "Diesel 10 is right. You're not even worth scrapping," she spat.

Later, James had been set back on the rails, and immediately sent to his shed. The Fat Controller was very upset with him, and told him to stay there until further notice.

That night, Daniella returned to the Other Railway. Though she was well aware this may be the last time she saw her cousin alive, she knew that he wouldn't be alone, and that he was in good hands. As much as she didn't want to leave him, she couldn't leave the many sick, dying engines at the scrapyard alone for a long time.

All was quiet at the Dieselworks as a black class 08 trundled inside, stopping a few feet in front of Dante. Diesel looked at the bigger engine; a deep frown on his face. He swallowed thickly as he took in the sight, then said quietly, "I…I'm sorry, Dante. I doubt you can hear me, but…I'm one of those jerks." Diesel looked down at his buffers. "I may never get to correct my mistake now. If anyone's an idiot, it's me…" unable to take any more, Diesel reversed away from him, and headed back to the quarry to sleep. As he did this, Diesel failed to notice that for a brief moment, Dante's eyes had fluttered open.

 **Author's note: First off, huge shoutout to DeviousWeasel for helping inspire Dante's character development. Second, this story is intended to deliver a strong message. Many disabled people in real life get ostracized and bullied because of their conditions. Oftentimes, this leaves deep psychological scars, and in some cases, results in the person committing suicide, or neglecting to care for themselves, feeling insignificant, unwanted, and unloved.**


	6. Chapter 6

Diesel 10 had been in a foul mood since Dante's accident, and having to help out at the docks certainly wasn't helping. Especially since Gordon was having to pull goods trains as part of his punishment.

Gordon was waiting impatiently for his train, and going on about how big and important he was. "An engine such as myself shouldn't be pulling dirty goods trains!" he huffed, "This is a job for dirty diesels! And dirty engines such as Henry! _I_ am the fastest and the best! _I_ should be pulling the express, _not_ these filthy—"

Gordon's sentence was cut short as quite a few fish landed in his open mouth, and quite a few more splattered all over his front, having been thrown by Diesel 10. Disgusted, Gordon spit the fish out and gagged, feeling rather sick. " _You_ are the most devious, rude, disgusting-!" Gordon sputtered, only to hear both Cranky and Salty laughing. " _What_ is so funny?!" Gordon snapped.

"Maybe you shouldn't have left your mouth open!" Cranky said, before erupting into a fit of laughter.

Gordon fumed. " _I_ shouldn't have left _my_ mouth open?! _Diesel 10_ shouldn't be throwing fish-!" Gordon was once again interrupted by another face full of fish, this time they were flung harder and as a result, poor Gordon was covered in splattered fish guts. This elicited more laughter from both Cranky and Salty. Finally, the guard's whistle blew, and Gordon stormed off in a huff.

Diesel 10, however, wasn't laughing, and when he was done with his work, he headed straight back towards the Dieselworks, looking rather sullen. As he passed through Henry's tunnel, he heard an unmistakable horn. At that moment, he felt as if he could just sink into the ground. Daniella would only be visiting Sodor for one reason, and that was if an engine was beyond repair. Speeding up, he raced to the Dieselworks as fast as his wheels could carry him.

Looking into the main shed, Diesel 10 immediately noticed that Dante wasn't there. Slowing to a stop, he let out a loud cry of anguish, despair, and anger. Closing his eyes tightly, he struggled to maintain his composure. Then, a voice caught his attention:

"Why you shout like that? Um…is you okay?"

Opening his eyes, Diesel 10 looked to his side and saw Dante, who was looking at him with a worried expression. "Dante! You're alright—wait—why is Dani here then?!" he said.

"Um…I don't know…" Dante said, clearly puzzled.

Seconds later, Diesel 10 wished he hadn't asked that question, for a very sullen looking Emily rolled into the yard, pulling a flatbed. On that flatbed was something that was mostly covered with a tarp, and Diesel 10 could see that clearly, an engine was underneath. As soon as Emily had been uncoupled, Diesel 10 used his claw to lift the tarp off, and to his horror, saw the horribly twisted, crushed form of a familiar black shunter. Backing away slightly, the big warship shut his eyes. "No!" he choked out, "What the _hell_ happened to Diesel?!"

"The tracks to Ulfstead castle were damaged…he fell down that cliff," Emily said sadly.

It was then, Diesel opened his eyes. Though he was weak, and in quite a lot of pain, he could see the sad faces of Den, Dart, Diesel 10, and, to his surprise, Dante.

"You are alive!" Dante exclaimed, as a big smile spread across his face. Diesel was surprised. He didn't think that Dante would be happy to see him at all, after the things he had said to him.

As Diesel stared in stunned silence, Daniella pulled up silently, watching the scene unfold. Several workmen were taking their time looking over Diesel, who didn't know what to say.

"I know you was a jerk to me," Dante began, and Diesel gulped. This was it, he thought. Here he was, most likely damaged beyond repair, and now he was getting his just desserts. He braced himself, thinking that the big engine was going to let into him. However, that never happened. Instead, the hulking class 43 moved closer, and spoke in a softer voice: "I forgive you. I do not want you hurt like this…I not like to see others hurt."

At that, Diesel weakly smiled. Seconds later, one of the workmen shouted, "Den! Dart! Bring him inside, this one's lucky. The damage looks a lot worse than it is."

Diesel 10 let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that. After all, he didn't want to lose one of the few engines that he considered a friend.

"Guess I came out here for nothin'," Daniella said with a smirk. She flashed a brief smile before sounding her horn and leaving.

Eventually, Diesel would be repaired, and would return to work as usual. Dante soon became accepted by most, and he and Henry became firm friends.

 **Author's Note: I really ran out of ideas for this one, so I ended it as best as I could. I've also been having quite a bit of trouble writing stories lately, so I'm not sure when the next one will be posted or even what it will be about. Anyway, thank you everyone who read and reviewed anything I've written, I truly appreciate the feedback.**


End file.
